The latest concern for rival clubs stems from the stunning spring-training performance of outfielder Yasiel Puig — and not simply because the Dodgers’ $42 million investment soon might look like a bargain.

No, rival executives are concerned that Puig’s ascent eventually will help the Dodgers secure other top prospects.

How?

By pushing the Dodgers to trade one of their expensive corner outfielders, Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier, and secure additional young talent by paying most of that player’s contract as part of the deal.

In other words, the Dodgers not only can outbid teams for stars, but also can buy their way out of mistakes and come out ahead. And, at a time when teams face new restrictions on spending for both domestic and international amateurs, the Dodgers’ financial might could give them a huge advantage in amassing top prospects.

Such moves would be perfectly acceptable under the collective bargaining agreement, provided that commissioner Bud Selig determined that they benefited both clubs from a baseball perspective.

And he didn’t stop the Dodgers from taking on more than $260 million in salaries last August, permitting them to acquire Crawford, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and right-hander Josh Beckett from the Red Sox.

Let’s say Puig tears up the minors and the Dodgers decide to promote him at mid-season. They then would face the choice of moving Crawford, who is owed $102.5 million over the next five seasons, or Ethier, who is owed $85 million over the same period.

Neither player is attractive at those figures. But if Ethier was playing well and the Dodgers paid enough to turn him into a player with an average salary of say, $7 million instead of $17 million, another team almost certainly would part with good prospects in return.

“It’s smart, actually — the only way to really build a farm system under the new rules,” one rival executive says. “And you can only do it if you’ve got big dollars.”

Rival executives worry that the Dodgers could return to the formula again and again, effectively circumventing the draft.

Tired of Gonzalez? Pay down his deal and get younger players. Zack Greinke doesn’t work out? Do the same. And keep the machine running by signing top free agents year after year.

The Dodgers’ budget surely is not unlimited, but they have yet to pull back on any front in any meaningful way.

Puig could be a gift that keeps on giving. And not the last such gift, either.

Zack Grienke, the top starting pitcher on the free-agent market, tells anyone and everyone that he loves to hit.

“He thinks he’s a great athlete,” one former teammate said, all but laughing.

Actually, Greinke is a great athlete; he could have been a first-round pick at five positions, according to one scout who saw him as an amateur.

Well, pitchers hit in the National League, but not the AL.

The question, obviously, is whether the difference between the leagues could influence Greinke’s choice of teams.

“I don’t think it will be very relevant,” one executive said.

Another exec chuckled at the notion that Grienke’s love of hitting would affect a potential $130 million decision.

“Go to the batting cage,” the exec said. “You’ll have plenty of quarters.”

Fair enough — most free agents probably would go for the best offer, and maybe Greinke will, too.

To be sure, hitting does not figure to be at the top of his list of priorities, not for a decision of this magnitude.

Grienke, though, is an individualist. If he chose an NL team, he not only could hit, but also avoid stronger AL lineups.

Not that Greinke struggled after getting traded last July from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Los Angeles Angels — he went 6-2 with a 3.53 ERA in his return to the AL, where he pitched for the Kansas City Royals from 2004 to ’10.

Then again, if Greinke indeed prefers the NL, teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals will stand a better chance of signing him than AL clubs such as the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers.

Greinke, 29, previously has expressed a desire to pitch for the Atlanta Braves, who train near his home in Orlando. The Braves, however, are not expected to pursue high-priced rotation help this offseason.

As a pitcher, Greinke sports a 3.80 ERA in the AL in 1,197 1/3 career innings, a 3.67 ERA in the NL in 294 2/3.

As a hitter, he sports a career .170 batting average and .493 OPS in 123 plate appearances.

Those offensive numbers probably won’t persuade a team to give Greinke an extra year on his contract, or even an extra $100,000.

Then again, they’re better than the major-league averages by pitchers last season – a .129 BA and .328 OPS.

The Kansas City Royals' willingness to trade Jeff Francoeur has waxed and waned in recent weeks, according to major league sources.

"Back and forth, every other week," said an official with another club.

Francoeur's status will be of particular interest once the Boston Red Sox trade Kevin Youkilis. Four teams — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers — were known to have interest in Youkilis as of Saturday. Clubs in need of right-handed hitting could turn to Francoeur after Youkilis is off the board.

It might be difficult for the Royals to move Francoeur in the immediate future, because they opened Saturday only 5-1/2 games out in the American League Central. But the apparent readiness of stud hitting prospect Wil Myers could push Francoeur to the trading block closer to the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

Francoeur is an elite defender in right field and has World Series experience, having joined the Texas Rangers before their 2010 postseason run. He's known for leadership and an ability to hit left-handed pitching.

Francoeur is more available than Royals designated hitter Billy Butler, who is on a longer-term contract. One source said Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore would need to receive a "(Zack) Greinke-type" offer in order to move Butler.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — After six years in the NFL, Jarrad Page has decided to give baseball a whirl.

How serious is he about changing sports at the age of 26?

Time will tell.

Right now, however, Page won’t.

Signed to a minor-league contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, Page, who turned down earlier baseball offers to pursue football, was going to meet with the media on Wednesday afternoon, following his daily workout with the Dodger minor league prospects.

When it came time to talk, however, Page declined.

His brother John, who is serving as Page’s adviser, informed the Dodgers that he felt his brother needed some time to settle in before addressing the media.

Evidently four years at UCLA and six years in the NFL had not prepared him for the challenge of answering questions.

What is uncertain is whether Page is serious about trying the roundabout way into baseball or if he sees baseball as a point of leverage in his NFL free agency. The NFL free agency period began this week. Maybe the brother wants to be careful Page doesn’t say something that could impact an NFL team that has interest.

"There are some definite abilities,’’ said De Jon Watson, vice president/player development of the Dodgers. "Yesterday, hitting left-handed, he lined a shot into left center and had a triple, easy. We will see what happens.’’

Page is a low-risk gamble for the Dodgers. He showed up at a March 1 tryout camp, was easily the best player in the group, and then signed a basic minor-league contract. There’s no bonus, nor salary in spring training.

"We’ll see what happens and when we get closer to the season both sides will have a decision to make,’’ said Watson.

Page has the athletic potential, and was highly regarded as a baseball player out of high school. He, however, chose football, and has now been away from baseball for six years.

Page was a fifth-round draft pick of Milwaukee when he came out of high school in 2002, but turned down a reported $750,000 and chose to play football at UCLA. He played baseball, in addition to football, his final two years at UCLA, and was drafted by Colorado in the 32nd round in 2005, and the seventh round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2006.

He hit .149 with 48 strikeouts in 101 at-bats the two years at UICLA, but the Rockies still offered him $75,000, half of what Page wanted to give up his senior year at UCLA.

Page also was a seventh round draft of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs in 2006, and opted to pursue the NFL. After four years with the Chiefs, he forced a trade to New England for the 2010 season. Signed by Philadelphia as a free agent last summer, he was released by the Eagles in November, and signed with Minnesota for the remainder of the season.

In early November, I wrote that the Los Angeles Dodgers should sign Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols even though the team was in bankruptcy, even though the team was for sale.

“If anything, the signing of such a player might be the perfect first step as the Dodgers prepare to negotiate their new TV contract and rebuild their season-ticket base,” I said then.

Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, agreed, saying, “If you’re going to optimize the TV value, you’re going to do it with ratings and stars.”

Sure enough, the Dodgers tried to do just that, making a strong run at Fielder before he signed with the Detroit Tigers, according to major-league sources.

The Dodgers’ offer, first reported by CBSSports.com, would have included an early opt-out provision, the source said. The deal, if it had come to fruition, would have been in the seven-year, $160 million range. Fielder signed with the Tigers for nine years, $214 million.

As it turned out, the Dodgers recognized that they stood little chance on Fielder nearly a week before he agreed with Detroit. At that point, Boras informed them that were $50 million to $60 million short of an offer that he already had — the offer that turned out to be the Tigers’.

“It didn’t get to the ninth inning. It got to about the sixth inning,” the source said.

Owner Frank McCourt, however, clearly viewed Fielder as a way to enhance the value of the club, which is in the process of being sold.

The pairing of Fielder and center fielder Matt Kemp, both 27, would have given the Dodgers a dynamic middle of the order, if only for a few seasons before Fielder opted out.

Oakland’s Andrew Bailey isn’t necessarily the only big-name closer left on the trade market.

Some within the industry believe the Mariners are willing to move Brandon League — if not now, then perhaps closer to spring training. A number of teams have contacted the Mariners to express interest, sources say.

It would be difficult for the Mariners to trade League, an All-Star this year, while attempting to convince free agent Prince Fielder that they are serious about winning. But if Fielder signs elsewhere, the Mariners will likely reconsider League’s trade value — particularly considering he will become a free agent after the upcoming season.

Sources say the Reds, Red Sox and Angels are interested in acquiring a closer, although it’s not clear if any of them have had serious talks with the Mariners about League.

The Dodgers inquired about League’s availability during the winter meetings, but their interest is not believed to be serious.

For now, League’s status with the Mariners seems analogous to Heath Bell’s situation in San Diego entering the 2011 season: He will be closing for a team that’s not expected to contend and therefore should have greater value to other clubs. If anything, the Mariners should be more motivated to trade League than the Padres were with Bell, because of the changing nature of draft-pick compensation under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Hiroki Kuroda didn’t want to leave the Dodgers last July, using his no-trade clause to block deals to both the Tigers and Red Sox, according to major-league sources.

But now that the Dodgers have effectively replaced Kuroda with lefty Chris Capuano, the landscape for the Japanese right-hander is different – “wide open” in the words of one source.

Kuroda, who turns 37 on Feb. 10, is considering all options, the source said, including major-league teams regardless of location as well as the Hiroshima Carp, his former club in Japan.

The Carp have made Kuroda an offer, according to Japanese reports. The Rockies are quietly pursuing him, according to the Denver Post. The Red Sox, Tigers and Diamondbacks are among the teams that have liked Kuroda in the past.

While Kuroda chose not to be traded in July, he is said to be more open to playing elsewhere after going through the thought process of considering other clubs last summer. Also, he likely could earn more with a major-league club than one in Japan.

The Dodgers, who are reducing payroll while in the process of getting sold, evidently could not afford Kuroda, who earned $12 million last season. The team signed Capuano to a back-loaded contract; the lefty will earn $3 million next season and $6 million in ’13.

Kuroda went 13-16 last season, but his 3.07 ERA was the best of his four-year major-league career. He also worked 202 innings, his highest total since coming to the majors.

Infielders have been the hottest commodity in the early stages of the free-agency period.

Now it’s Jerry Hairston’s turn.

The Dodgers, Brewers and Giants are among the clubs showing interest in Hairston, major league sources say.

Hairston, 35, spent last season with the Nationals and Brewers, posting a .727 OPS in 376 plate appearances, then going 15 for 39 (.385) with four walks and six doubles for the Brewers in the postseason.

He plays second base, shortstop and third, as well as all three outfield positions, and each of the interested teams likely would use him in some type of super-utility role.

The money in those deals ranged from $3 million for McDonald to $11 million for Hill. Hairston, who was on a one-year, $2 million contract last season, likely will get a significant raise.

The Brewers have made Hairston a one-year offer, one source said, but might prefer to invest in a full-time free-agent shortstop such as Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins rather than make Hairston part of their solution at the position.

Hairston could protect the Giants both at second and short; second baseman Freddy Sanchez is coming off surgery on his right shoulder and shortstop Brandon Crawford is unproven.

The Dodgers likely would play Hairston all over the field. They signed the oft-injured Ellis to play second and plan to use the inexperienced Dee Gordon at short. Hairston also could see time in their outfield.

Cordero, 36, is one of the top closers available, now that Jonathan Papelbon is off the board. Cordero averaged nearly 40 saves per season over the past five years, with a 2.97 ERA. He’s coming off a season in which he posted his best WHIP (1.019) since 2002.

The Red Sox, Dodgers, and Angels have internal candidates to close, but the sheer number of available closers could mean that they sign a closer, anyway.

The Dodgers might be unlikely to pursue free agent Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but that doesn’t mean they’re inactive.

The team is aggressively pursuing infielders and also talking to backup catchers and starting pitchers, major-league sources say.

First baseman James Loney, shortstop Dee Gordon and third baseman Juan Uribe are virtually assured of starting positions in the Dodgers’ infield, but the second base and utility jobs are unsettled.

Ivan DeJesus and Justin Sellers could end up in the mix, but defense was a major issue for the Dodgers at second last season, and the team would prefer to add an established regular.

Clint Barmes, Aaron Hill and Mark Ellis are among the free-agent second basemen the Dodgers are targeting; Hill currently is negotiating with his previous team, the Diamondbacks.

At catcher, the Dodgers would like to add a Brad Ausmus-type backup behind A.J. Ellis, someone who could catch once or twice a week and serve as a mentor while the team develops Tim Federowicz at Triple A.

The free-agent market for catchers market is thin, but Jose Molina, Brian Schneider and Matt Treanor are among the players who fit the description of what the Dodgers would like to add.

As for starting pitchers, the Dodgers’ first choice is to re-sign right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. But it is unclear whether Kuroda wants to stay with the Dodgers, sign with another team or return to Japan.

If you want to know why the Dodgers jumped at signing outfielder Juan Rivera to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, consider this:

First baseman James Loney had the fifth worst OPS in the majors against left-handed pitching last season, right fielder Andre Ethier the seventh worst.

Rivera, by contrast, hits left-handers well. He also plays left field, right and first, as does another of the Dodgers’ right-handed hitters, Jerry Sands.

Thus, the signing of Rivera creates more options for manager Don Mattingly. Against certain lefties, Mattingly could sit his left-handed hitters, Loney and Ethier, and go with Rivera and Sands.

Ethier is a free agent after next season, and the Dodgers might be building enough depth to trade him. But that does not appear to be their intent with the Rivera signing; Rivera does not hit righties well enough.

No, the goal is simply a deeper, more flexible roster.

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp led the National League in OPS against left-handers last season, but the team overall ranked 11th in the 16-team NL.

Rivera helped after the Dodgers acquired him in a trade with the Blue Jays on July 12. The Dodgers went 25-10 in the final weeks, tying for the best record in the NL.

Commissioner Bud Selig remains confident that baseball will eventually expand its postseason from the current eight teams to 10. However, he acknowledges it isn’t likely that the new plan can be in place for the 2012 season.

Asked during a session with the media prior to Monday’s NLCS game in Milwaukee how he felt about people pushing for adding teams to the postseason, Selig smiled.

"Since I’m the guy I don’t want to be too critical of me,’’ he said. "I think 10 of 30 (teams advancing) is fair. I have a 14-man committee and the vote has been 14-0.’’

Any change would have to be approved by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which currently is renegotiating its basic agreement with baseball. Given the logistical issues, and the fact next year’s schedule already is released, Selig indicated implementation of a new playoff system next year is not likely, but did not rule it out.

In an open question-and-answer session he also addressed:

The fact none of the teams with the top nine payrolls made it into an LCS.

"Way back when I started (as commissioner) in 1992, the object was to provide hope and faith,’’ Selig said. "I really regard my job is to provide as much hope and faith in as many places as possible. believe the sport is as healthy as it has ever been. … Detroit, Texas, Milwaukee and St. Louis (in the LCS) is the manifestation of that. I think that having different clubs is not bad at all. I’m proud of it.’’

Memories of the 1982 World Series, which featured the two teams in this year's NLCS, as St. Louis beat Selig's Milwaukee team.

"Not that I’m a poor loser, but it’s 29 years later and if we had (injured closer Rollie) Fingers, we win,’’ Selig said. "We won the first of that Series 10-0. I thought to myself, `Boy we’re good.’ But Whitey (Herzog, St. Louis manager) did a great job, although, to Whitey’s credit, when I saw him at Cooperstown last year he said, `You’re right. If you had Fingers, it might have been different.’’’

Current negotiations with the MLBPA on a basic agreement.

"They have quiet, thoughtful and constructive talks,’’ Selig said. "I give a lot of credit to both parties. They are far different from the labor negotiations in the '70s, '80s and '90s. Those were awful. I remember saying they were not helpful and healthy for the game.’’

Success of the Brewers, which began as the Seattle Pilots and were purchased after their inaugural season of 1969 by a group headed by Selig, and moved to Milwaukee to replace the Braves.

"I tell everybody I am netural,’’ he said with a smile. "What it has produced in me is a lot of history. I was a kid of 29 when I started trying to get a team back when the Braves left. You have no idea how difficult that was.’’

Selig said he failed in efforts to land expansion teams in 1969, and had an effort to buy the Chicago White Sox fall through. Even the move to buy Seattle was a challenge because then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn wanted the team to stay in Seattle. However, a bankruptcy court opened the door for Selig, whose purchase of the Brewers for the 1970 season wasn’t finalized until "March 31 that year at 10:15 at night.’’

A one-on-one meeting he had last week with Jim Crane, who is seeking approval of his offer to buy Houston.

"I thought the meeting was constructive,’’ Selig said. "It was the first time he and I spent any time together.’’

The viability of the Mets ownership.

"I don’t have concerns,’’ Selig said. "I talked with Fred (Wilpon) and he feels good about it. They seem to be moving along in a good pattern.’’

The legal battles over Frank McCourt’s continuing to own the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"It’s been a difficult situation,’’ he said. "So far we have done well in court.’’

On the designated hitter.

"I am the only one left in the American League now — shows you how old I am — who in December of 1972 voted for Charlie Finley and the designated hitter," Selig said. "The only thing I want to add, so I put history in its perspective, it’s the only thing of Finley’s that I voted for. I voted no on 882 other things. It killed me to vote for it. Dick O’Connell of the Boston Red Sox convinced me to do it because we needed more offense.

"Bill Giles of the Phillies, who’s been in the sport a long time and is not a controversial guy, says to me, 'I like a little controversy between the leagues. … The National League guys don’t like it. The American League does,' and that doesn’t bother me at all.’’

By the end of this season, Hiroki Kuroda will have four years of major-league service.

But for the Dodgers – or the team that acquires him before Sunday’s non-waiver trade deadline – Kuroda will be treated as if he has six or more, like the more conventional major-league free agents.

Kuroda, 36, spent 11 seasons with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Japanese Central League. He isn’t credited for those years in the Major League Baseball service-time calculation. And typically, players with four years of major-league service are eligible for salary arbitration, not free agency.

However, Kuroda’s contract stipulates that he will be eligible for Article XX(B) free agency after this season. Thus, his team can offer him salary arbitration and collect draft pick compensation if he qualifies for it through the Elias Rankings.

According to projections at MLBTradeRumors.com, Kuroda is scheduled to be a Type B free agent, which carries one compensatory pick. Kuroda, however, is on the bubble for the Type B designation, according to the MLBTradeRumors.com projection, so it’s possible that he could lose the compensation if he performs poorly during the final two months.

Draft pick compensation has had a big effect on the perceived and actual value of trade candidates in recent years. The Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Rangers are interested in trading for Kuroda, sources say.

Kuroda signed a one-year, $12 million contract before this season. Of note: He has yet to receive his $4 million signing bonus as part of the deal. He is due $1.5 million in January 2012 and $2.5 million in January 2013.

So, Kuroda is technically owed about $6.7 million on his contract as of this date.